Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who heads the College of Cardinals, manages the meeting to pick the next pope. As the cardinals gather political strains and private matters come to light. The surprise entry of Archbishop Vincent Benitez from Afghanistan, a secret cardinal pick by the late pope, makes things more complex. Benitez’s push for peace after a terror strike on the Sistine Chapel puts him in the lead. In the end, he becomes pope choosing the name “Innocent.” In a touching turn, Benitez tells Lawrence he’s intersex—a fact the late pope knew and accepted. Lawrence decides to keep this under wraps finding his faith renewed in the process.